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July 14, 1936.. F. KAPPLER FAGTURE-OF PROFILED MATCHES I MANU Filed Nov. 6, 1953 on one or terial.

Patented July 14, 1936 PATENT "OFFICE MANUFACTURE OF PROFILED MATCHES Felix Kappler, Freiberg, Germany Application November 6, I933, Serial No. 696,861 In Switzerland December 26, 1932 2 Claims. (01. 144-51) i This invention relates to a method and device for profiling match splints consisting of paper, board, cardboard orsimilar materials and formed I both sides of an endless band of ma- Matches profiled according to the invention have'a conicalpointed shape and are produced froman endless band by a 'device comprising different profiled rollers.

Compared. with ;-the known profiled matches, the matches produced according to the invention afford the advantage that the part of the match subjected to greatest stress while igniting is doubled longitudinally and thereby reinforced and that, owing to their shape, which is tapered toward the outer end, the splints, when dipped into the igniting composition, are provided with very small heads, whereby a considerable saving in igniting mass is effected.

By way of example, the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side view of the cutting and profiling device; Fig. 2, a View of a profiled match splint of which only a small part has conical shape; Fig. 3, a view of a match splint having a larger part thereof tapering to a point; Fig. 4, a view of a match splint having a conical shape over its entire length; Fig. 5, a diagram of several profiled match splints, one with a head, connected to a common base; Fig. 6, a cross section of the tip of a. profiled match; Fig. 7, a view on a large scale, showing the cutting and profiling device; Fig. 8, a sectional view on a large scale of the first folding step on the cutting and profiling device substantially in a plane where the tip of the match is formed; Fig. 9, a sectional view on a large scale of the second folding step on the cutting and profiling device; Fig. 10, a sectional view on a large scale of the last folding and pressing step; Fig. 11 shows in a smaller scale a longitudinally sectional view of the cutting and profiling device of Fig. 7 and Fig. 12 shows in a smaller scale a iongitudinally sectional 'view of the last folding device of Fig. 10.

Referring to the drawing, the match splints 2 formed on one or both sides of an endless band of material I are made conical by folding or pressing together the two corners 3 at the top end of the splints. Conical shape may be imparted to the splints over their entire length, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, or only to a part thereof, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. When a match splint formed according to the invention is dipped into igniting composition in known manner, the tip 4 formed thereby will be extremely small and fully surround the compressed corners 3, as shown in Fig. 6. Being dried, the match splint will permanently retain the conical form imparted to it, i

The conical or tapered splints are made on a 5 cutting and profiling device shown in Fig. 1 by the steps shown in Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10, the steps involving; the employment of various folding and pressing rollers 5, 6, and l constructed like toothed wheels and axially disposed around a m cuttingroller |0- provided witha large number of cutters 8 and a counter-pressure roller 9. During the cutting step shown in Fig. '7 transverse cuts, appropriately spaced apart, are made in the material I by the cutters 8 to form the indi- 15 vidual splints or matches, and as the splints connected to a common base cannot be displaced, perfect conical or tapered shape is imparted in the subsequent operations to each individual splint. The folding and pressing rollers placed around the cutting roller to may vary in number and diameter, though preferably three of these rollers are provided whose diameter, according to their number, is much smaller than that of the roller Ill. 25

The cutting and profiling device may comprise two frames H with plain bearings l2 for the cutting roller H), with bearings I3 for the counterpressure roller 9, bearings I4 for the folding roller 5 for carrying out the first folding step accord- 0 ing to Fig. 8, with bearings l5 for the folding roller 6 for the second folding step, as indicated in Fig. 9; and with bearings I6 for the pressing roller I for carrying out the pressing step according to Fig. 10. I1 is a feeding table for the endless strip of material I. i

The device is driven by toothed wheels secured to the shafts of all rollers and having the same diameter as the latter. Drive is effected by the driving pulley l8 on the shaft of the roller 5 whence drive is transmitted by the toothed gear of the roller 5 to the gear of the cutting roller I 0 and thence to the toothed wheels of the rollers 6, I, and 9.

The profiling of each match splint takes place in stages by guiding the endless strip I over the table I! to the cutting device by means of which the match splints are formed on one or both sides of the endless strip l and are forced between the cutters 8 and slightly deflected upwardly, in which position they pass to the folding and pressing members shown in Figs. 8, 9, and 10. During the first folding step according to Fig. 8 the top portions of the splints are preliminarily folded by the interchangeable teeth l9 of the roller 5 which press them into the conical top portion of the recesses 20 illustrated in Fig. 11. During the second folding step according to Fig. 9 folding of the splints continues by means of the teeth 22 of the roller 6 and their interchangeable plungers 2! which press the top portions of the splints into the narrowed lower portion of the recesses 20. During the third and last step, according to Fig. 10, the top portions of the splints are fully pressed into the recesses 20 by the teeth 23 of the roller 1 so as to impart final shape to the matches. While the top portions of the splints are thus progressively pressed together the remaining portions of the splints, from the top portion toward the base, which is united with the strip I, are automatically folded with increasing curvature toward the base, so that the base portion of the splint is almost flat. The Fig. 5 illustrates a series of matches produced in this manner. By means of a rail 24 having a tongue 25 disposed under the undivided endless strip I the individual profiled matches are lifted out of the recesses 20 and passed on to known devices for attaching tips. 7

If endless bands of inferior material which does not readily bend or fold are used, folding and pressing must be carriedout by a larger number of steps by providing a greater number of folding and pressing rollers around the cutting roller.

I claim:

1. Apparatus of the class described, comprising supporting elements having bearings, a cutting roller mounted in certain of said bearings for rotation and having a plurality of longitudinal cutters and longitudinal recesses between the cutters, a counterpressure roller for said cutting roller mounted in other of said bearings, and a plurality of toothed folding and pressing rollers axially disposed around said cutting roller and each mounted in other of. said bearings and having profiled teeth, the said profiled teeth of said folding and pressing rollers coacting with the longitudinal recesses of the cutting roller to fold each match splint longitudinally and impart tapered form thereto.

2. The herein described method of producing profiled matches from paper or the like, consisting in forming the splints on one side of an endless strip of material by cutting, positioning the splints between the cutting means, rotatably guiding the strip without relatively displacing the formed .splints longitudinally, so folding the splintsintocross sectionally substantionally U- shaped form from near the tops thereof toward the bottoms as to impart tapered form thereto, pressing the corners of the. splints together after the splints have been thus longitudinally folded, and then guiding the splints to tip forming means.

FELIX KAPPLER. 

